Chapter 29:Tiffany gets his Reward!!!

Song Recommendation to listen to at a specific moment, I'll tell you when you play it and end it - [ Please don't go - Jeffery Friedmen] On Repeat.

.....

Tucker navigated through a series of traps designed to kill or severely injure anyone who dared to pass.

He sidestepped hidden pits, ducked under swinging blades, and even had to roll away from a sudden burst of flames.

Each trap seemed more lethal than the last, a grin plastered on his face despite the danger. The voice also disappeared at some point or another so he was now alone.

"Valentina, you sure know how to keep things interesting," he muttered.

After what felt like hours, Tucker finally reached the castle on top of the hill. The structure was ancient, with towering spires and a foreboding aura.

Crash!!!

And lighting...lots of lighting.

He could see Valentina up in the tower, rope tied around her hands. She was clearly having fun watching him.

"Of course she is," Tucker sighed, shaking his head. " Oh, Fair Maiden of Burnt Croissant and Beff Welingtons I am here to save you."

Valentina was far away but she could clearly hear him, she immediately flipped him off while he himself just smirked.

As he approached the castle gates, a massive roar echoed through the air. The ground trembled as a Western-type demonic dragon emerged from the shadows, its scales as black as night and its eyes glowing with a malevolent light.

The beast was enormous, standing fifty feet tall, its wings casting a dark shadow over the land.

"Well, not the dragons I'm used to seeing," Tucker muttered, gripping the wooden longsword he had found along the way. "But I must fight you nevertheless!!!"

The dragon snarled, its breath hot and acrid. Without warning, it lunged at Tucker, jaws wide open.

Tucker dodged to the side, swinging his sword and landing a blow on the dragon's flank. The creature roared, and the wound already began to heal almost instantly.

"Figures," Tucker said, rolling his eyes. "Nothing's ever easy."

The dragon whipped its tail around, trying to knock Tucker off his feet. He jumped over it, using the momentum to slash at the dragon's wing. The dragon screeched, staggering back but recovering quickly.

"Okay, you big lizard, let's dance," Tucker grinned, feeling the adrenaline surge through his veins.

The dragon roared, its breath scorching the air as it charged Tucker again. He met the attack head-on, deflecting a swipe of the dragon's claws and countering with a series of rapid strikes.

BANG! BANG! CRASH!!!

Each hit landed, causing scales to fly and the beast to roar in fury. The ground shook with every step the dragon took, and the air crackled with energy.

Tucker dodged another tail swipe and took a moment to assess the dragon's movements.

The creature was cunning, its eyes tracking his every move with an almost predatory intelligence. It wasn't just a mindless beast—it was strategizing.

"All right, let's see how smart you really are," Tucker challenged, darting in for another attack.

He aimed for the dragon's eyes, hoping to blind it, but the creature anticipated the move, closing its eyelids and snapping its jaws at him. Tucker twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding being bitten in half.

But then he felt the temperature rise, before it spat a torrent of obsidian flames at him. Tucker let out a deep breath, then with all his strength swung skyward blowing the flames up and countering them with a powerful gale.

The dragon's then tail lashed out again, catching Tucker off guard and sending him crashing into a nearby wall. He brushed off the debris, more annoyed than hurt. "Okay, that one stung a little."

He surged forward again, this time targeting the dragon's legs. If he could cripple its mobility, he might gain an advantage.

The dragon, however, anticipated this and lifted its legs, taking flight. It hovered above Tucker, unleashing a torrent of fire that turned the ground to molten rock.

Tucker leapt from stone to stone, avoiding the lava and making his way to higher ground.

"How does that game go again..oh right, Yahoo!!"

He grabbed onto the castle's crumbling walls, using them to launch himself at the dragon's exposed underbelly.

With a powerful thrust, he drove his sword deep into the dragon's chest. The beast roared in agony, but to Tucker's frustration, the wound began to heal almost instantly.

"It's not the eye, wings, body or anywhere else," Tucker muttered, hanging onto the dragon as it thrashed in the air.

The dragon twisted and turned, trying to shake Tucker off. He held on tight, driving his sword into the creature again and again.

Each strike caused a brief moment of pain, but none were enough to keep the dragon down.

"Think, Tucker," he told himself. "There's got to be a weak spot."

As he clung to the dragon, he noticed something odd about the scales near its...nonononononono!!

He looked back at the tower where Valentina was now laughing her as off.' Please don't tell me his weakness is...'

Tucker looked back at the dragon that was clearly excited for another round.'I—apologise for what I am about to do, little one.'

Tucker quickly climbed up the dragon's neck, avoiding its snapping jaws and the swipes of its claws.

He ran down its body and reached its tail before he cut it off with the sword's special ability.

"Gooooo Tiffany!! RAM that sword up that dragons ass!!!!"

"..." Tucker...

"..." The Dragon'..My Whaaaaaaat!!!'

With a powerful thrust, he drove his sword into it. The dragon let out a roar of pure agony, its body convulsing violently.

The dragon's roar echoed through the valley, a mix of pain and something disturbingly close to pleasure.

'No he must of heard wrong.'

Tucker winced at the sound, pulling his sword free as the dragon began to fall from the sky.

He leapt off just in time, landing gracefully as the massive beast crashed to the ground.

[Play the song now...]

....

On his way up the tower, Tucker still feeling disturbed wondered what he should say to Valentina.

When he finally reached the top, however, she wasn't there. He looked around, confused, before sensing her demonic signature at the back of the castle.

He followed it and found her sitting on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the picturesque scene of the setting sun. The sky was painted in shades of orange, pink, and purple, casting a warm glow over everything.

He approached her quietly and sat down next to her. Valentina smiled at him. "Looks like you saved me, my knight. Now, as is customary, you may ask for anything you wish."

Tucker chuckled. "Anything, you say?... Then, why? Why do all this?" He had figured out by now that this wasn't just a normal date.

Valentina looked at him and smiled gently. "This colour suits you the best."

Tucker was confused, but Valentina turned her gaze back to the sunset.

.

.

"Ever since I was young, I've been able to see colours around people. These colours change, of course, and no one ever has just one colour. But I can get a sense of the type of person they are based on the colours that surround them the most."

"As you can guess when you're so young and can see a person for who they are..it becomes difficult to trust, or to even live with those that..."

Tucker listened intently.

"When I first saw you, you shined like an aurora," Valentina continued, a smile creeping onto her face remembering the first time she saw him at the bar.

He was so warm, compared to all the malevolent colours surrounding the guests that night he was like...a glow-in-the-dark condom.

"And that colour never changed, even in all the months we've been together...But yesterday, it finally did. It was a colour I despise seeing around you. It didn't feel right. You didn't feel like...Tucker. or maybe that was the real you..."

Tucker looked at her but stayed silent, letting her continue. He noticed that Valentina had intertwined her fingers with his hand, her grip firm yet comforting.

"Despite being friends and despite the time we've spent together, we barely know each other's pasts," she said softly.

"I can tell it's probably not a subject you like talking about, and I won't force you. But Tucker, know that you can talk to me. I'm not going anywhere. If you need me, I'm here. Just like you've been for me."

She looked down, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "When I was a little girl in the 1940s, growing up in France, I saw those colours for the first time. The colours around my parents were always so vibrant and full of love, but one day... one day I saw a dark, ominous colour around my father. He left for the war and never came back. That was the first time I truly understood what the colours meant."

Valentina's voice broke, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Years later, I saw that same colour around a person I loved very deeply. He betrayed me in the worst possible way, and I vowed never to trust those colours blindly again. When I saw that colour around you yesterday, Tucker, it felt like history repeating itself. It terrified me."

"..."

"I just wanted you to know that...as for this date, one part was because I wanted you to let off some steam...and the other, well it was because I really wanted to have one special night with you before you left."

She looked up at him with a reassuring smile then held his face and placed her forehead against his. She didn't always know how to communicate her feelings so whenever she wanted to show affection in her human life she would do this.

"..."

All Tucker could say was, "Thank you."

He didn't need to say more, and she didn't need him to.

'This is the colour that suits you best...'

...

[Location: Valentina Tower - Gloutvile]

[You can end the song]

Tucker didn't hear the robotic voice announcing the mission was complete. Now they were no longer in the game but back in Valentina's tower, more specifically her bedroom.

As they stood there, Valentina finally opened her eyes and leaned in close to his ear. "Now it's time to receive your prize, my knight."

Tucker looked at Valentina, whose eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Prize...and what would that be."

She purred into his ear, licked his neck and whispered, "Of course, it's me."

"..."

"V-Valentina No..."

"Valentina Yes! Tonight, I'm having me some fox, whether you like it or Love it..."

She gently pushed him onto the bed where they proceeded to do...things...so many things...

.

.

.

.

.

.

Many—Many things...